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Chew Valley Gazette: "Memories of 'Arthur of the Britons'"
Friday, 1 November 2013 08:00 amFollowing a request from the creator of this archive in the Chew Valley Gazette, a number of people involved in the filming of "Arthur of the Britons" got in touch with the paper, and kindly shared their memories. This article was published in the November edition.
The Gazette’s article and letter about the filming of “Arthur of the Britons” at Woollard in the 1970s have brought some interesting responses from readers with clear recollections of the half year’s filming.
Roger Pearce was the camera operator on much of the series, and now lives within two miles of its eventual location at Woollard. He has replied saying that shooting began in a place called Woodchester Park in Gloucestershire, where the first village was constructed on the banks of a lake.
He says Woodchester was actually a far better place to shoot Iron Age Britain: a vast park, managed and farmed, but allowed to live and decay naturally, so pictorially it looked more convincing.
However, it proved far too expensive to transport the cast and crew from Bristol every day, so it was decided to build a village much nearer to the Bristol base and the chosen spot was the top and eastern side of Woollard, in a large and steep meadow which slopes down to the river Chew.
Roger adds: “Our unit base was at the top of the field where vehicles and large marquees were erected, one of which was the dining area; during really bad weather, we had to raise one side of the tent to allow a flow of water through and out the other side down to the river. It being the 70s many of our extras were student types who, apart from their everyday clothes quite looked the part and some took to hiding at the end of each shooting day to evade crew so that they could re-emerge and occupy the better made huts where they could co-habit under furs and skins to the warmth of wood fires and be ready for filming next day!”
Barbara Hatherell and her husband still live in Woollard and were extras in some episodes, as well as providing a comfortable house for the director to take his morning cup of tea. The coupel ran the Chew Valley Restaurant in Keynsham for many years, so the hospitality was much appreciated!
Barbara recalls: “As there was no shop in the village, we supplied ice creams, and our telephone was also useful for the cast.
We got to appear in some episodes, dressed up in sack cloth. There was one scene where my husband played a jeweller in the village, and then after a raid he had to be covered in fake blood, in the ransacked buildings.
Another exciting scene was where Oliver Tobias, who played Arthur, had to walk over hot ashes as a penance.”
The whole of the first and second series from 1972 – 73, were released on DVD about five years ago and can be bought from a number of sources online.
Reviewers are mostly nostalgic re. 1970s television – and very complimentary.
RJ
[Rowland Janes - Editor]
The Gazette’s article and letter about the filming of “Arthur of the Britons” at Woollard in the 1970s have brought some interesting responses from readers with clear recollections of the half year’s filming.
Roger Pearce was the camera operator on much of the series, and now lives within two miles of its eventual location at Woollard. He has replied saying that shooting began in a place called Woodchester Park in Gloucestershire, where the first village was constructed on the banks of a lake.
He says Woodchester was actually a far better place to shoot Iron Age Britain: a vast park, managed and farmed, but allowed to live and decay naturally, so pictorially it looked more convincing.
However, it proved far too expensive to transport the cast and crew from Bristol every day, so it was decided to build a village much nearer to the Bristol base and the chosen spot was the top and eastern side of Woollard, in a large and steep meadow which slopes down to the river Chew.
Roger adds: “Our unit base was at the top of the field where vehicles and large marquees were erected, one of which was the dining area; during really bad weather, we had to raise one side of the tent to allow a flow of water through and out the other side down to the river. It being the 70s many of our extras were student types who, apart from their everyday clothes quite looked the part and some took to hiding at the end of each shooting day to evade crew so that they could re-emerge and occupy the better made huts where they could co-habit under furs and skins to the warmth of wood fires and be ready for filming next day!”
Barbara Hatherell and her husband still live in Woollard and were extras in some episodes, as well as providing a comfortable house for the director to take his morning cup of tea. The coupel ran the Chew Valley Restaurant in Keynsham for many years, so the hospitality was much appreciated!
Barbara recalls: “As there was no shop in the village, we supplied ice creams, and our telephone was also useful for the cast.
We got to appear in some episodes, dressed up in sack cloth. There was one scene where my husband played a jeweller in the village, and then after a raid he had to be covered in fake blood, in the ransacked buildings.
Another exciting scene was where Oliver Tobias, who played Arthur, had to walk over hot ashes as a penance.”
The whole of the first and second series from 1972 – 73, were released on DVD about five years ago and can be bought from a number of sources online.
Reviewers are mostly nostalgic re. 1970s television – and very complimentary.
RJ
[Rowland Janes - Editor]
